Children's Home run by Keys Educational Services Limited in Lincolnshire

Unique reference number SC363422 Inspection date 23/05/2012 Inspector Rebecca Sharp Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 14/03/2012 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This children's home run by a private organisation provides care and accommodation for up to three young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties, aged between 12 and 17 years.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

Young people benefit from highly personalised care. As a result, young people are making positive progress from their starting points, particularly in relation to their health. Regular evaluation of individual’s progress takes place to ensure sufficient support is being provided and any issues are dealt with efficiently through regular keyworking sessions. Young people are positive about their experiences living in the home and they feel safe and secure.

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Overall effectiveness

Young people receive consistent care from a competent staff team. Strong relationships have been built between staff and young people which are based on trust and respect. Staff are committed to providing high quality care for young people and consult with them regularly to gain their views on how to improve the care they receive. As a result, young people feel that their views, wishes and feelings are listened to, and acted upon. Staff are aware of safe working practices and receive regular training in many areas of safeguarding. There are clear procedures in place to protect young people and staff.

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Overall effectiveness

The leadership and management of the home is of good quality and there is a positive support network in place from senior management. The manager monitors the home effectively and understands the strengths. Areas for development are clearly documented and plans are in place to address these. Staff feel they are supported well and receive high quality training. Therefore, are well equipped to meet the needs of the young people in their care.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for children and young people are adequate .

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people have made adequate progress since their admission to the home. Academic and vocational participation has been promoted by staff in order to provide young people with the opportunity to achieve. Unfortunately, some young people have not taken advantage of this opportunity and therefore their educational outcomes have not improved despite every effort from the home. Further education placements have been secured despite this which is encouraging; and gives young people the chance to continue their education.

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Outcomes for children and young people

The home cares for vulnerable young people, some of who have severe emotional difficulties. A particular strength of the home is their consistent support in ensuring the health needs of young people are met. Each young person is registered with local health agencies upon admission. Statutory appointments and immunisations are kept up to date which ensures optimum health outcomes for young people. Specific health issues, such as mental health needs, are prioritised, supporting positive outcomes. The home works in partnership with placing authorities and local child and adolescent mental health services, in ensuring the plan of care is adhered to in relation to meeting these needs. Young people who have previously refused to engage with these services receive affirmative support and are making significant progress in this regard. Staff offer effective emotional support and respect the young people’s individuality. As a result, young people are making encouraging progress in

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Outcomes for children and young people

developing their emotional resilience and in their ability to sustain positive attachments.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are encouraged to make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community. As part of their care plan, independence work is completed regularly. Young people learn how to cook meals for themselves, complete basic chores and budget money. This work is evaluated effectively by staff to ensure individuals are developing their skills appropriately. As a result, young people gain confidence in their skills and develop a positive self-view. Young people have also contributed to planting a vegetable patch in the grounds of the home. This has been promoted by staff and given young people the opportunity to cultivate new interests.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people benefit from appropriate contact with family and friends as per their individual care plans. Staff work with placing authorities and parents and carers to promote positive contact experiences. Risks are managed well by the home to ensure the safety of the young people whilst on visits. Each young person has access to a communal telephone in order to keep in touch with those important to them. Transport is also facilitated by the home to allow contact to go ahead, and young people are encouraged to use public transport where appropriate in order to promote their independence.

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Quality of care

Young people enjoy positive relationships with staff and stated that ‘the staff are the best thing’ about the home. The staff team are committed to meeting the needs of the young people in their care and are consistent in their approach. Young people benefit from the security of this consistency. Strong and appropriate attachments are formed with keyworkers which enables constructive emotional support for young people. Staff have an accurate understanding of individuals and communicate effectively as a team. Behaviour management strategies are tailored to meet individual needs in times of emotional crisis. Young people contribute to their own behaviour management plan. They tell staff what makes them angry and upset; what behaviours they exhibit, and what will help them cope during an incident. These plans are crucial for staff in promoting positive behaviour. The effectiveness is evident in the lack of physical restraint and minimal use of negative consequences.

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Quality of care

Consultation with young people is evidenced well and young people feel listened to. Residents meetings are held weekly which gives the young people the opportunity to influence the running of the home. Menu choices and activities are planned during these meetings, taking into account individuals choices. Achievements are celebrated and group issues are discussed with all young people. This contributes to the consistency of the care they receive. Staff advocate for the young people in reviews and consultation papers are routinely completed by all parties. This ensures the full participation of young people and those close to them in the planning and review of their care.

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Quality of care

Care plans are thorough and individualised. They identify each element of care accurately with plans to address them including identity, background, health, education and cultural needs. Placing authorities are consulted with regards the planning of care which are updated regularly. Young people have a daily living plan which runs alongside the care plan. This is an individual plan which sets out a daily routine for each young person which allows staff a greater understanding of the residents and consistency in the implementation of boundaries.

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Quality of care

Staff are proactive in their support of education. Strong links have been built with the local education authority and accessible learning provisions. Communication between these services is effective and placements have been secured for residents. Unfortunately, some residents have refused to engage in their allocated provision despite every effort from the provider. However, the relationships built between the home and these services will benefit future residents.

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Quality of care

There are a range of positive and purposeful activities on offer for young people. The home encourages their full participation in learning new skills, developing different interests and maintaining hobbies they enjoyed prior to their placement. The home has a culture board which contains information on different celebrations, cultures and religious holidays. This is updated weekly and discussed in young people’s meetings. One young person described this as ‘quite interesting really’ and enjoyed the information on offer. Young people benefit from well-planned leisure time which contributes to the development of confidence and self-esteem, and the building of positive relationships with staff and each other.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people are safe and feel safe living at the home. Individual risk assessments are robust and comprehensive. They are used as live documents and are updated frequently in order to ensure the safety of young people on a daily basis. They identify each area of risk in depth, and plan accordingly to ensure the potential of risk is minimised. Incidents of self-harm are dealt with appropriately and young people have access to relevant agencies to support their emotional difficulties. Communication with placing authorities is efficient and decisions are made jointly to ensure the awareness of all parties.

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Safeguarding children and young people

All staff are trained in safeguarding, child protection and whistle blowing procedures. This training is refreshed regularly alongside other mandatory training such as first aid and restraint, to ensure young people and staff are kept safe. There have been no restraints since the last inspection however staff are aware of the legislation surrounding the use of restraint and recording procedures meet regulation. Behaviour management is successful and young people are developing their self- awareness in how to manage their behaviour. Staff enable this through debriefs with young people following incidents and regular keyworking sessions. Peer relationships are managed well and staff encourage open communication between young people. The home has an effective anti-bullying policy and a zero tolerance to that behaviour. No instances of bullying have been reported since the last inspection.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Each individual has a tailored missing from care procedure which is developed with the placing authority, in line with the local police protocol. There have been few instances where young people have been reported as missing to the police. Each incident is recorded appropriately and reported to all necessary parties. Young people are spoken to upon their return in order for staff to identify triggers for their behaviour. Any issues are then entered onto the young person’s risk assessment and communicated throughout the team in order to prevent further occurrences.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Complaints are handled fairly and quickly, with an efficient audit trail to evidence actions taken and outcomes of the complaint. Young people are involved in the process and kept informed of progress made. Young people feel confident about making a complaint and are aware of the internal procedure to follow. They also have access to a number of external agencies to report any concerns. Staff support the young people well through the complaints process.

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

The home is effectively managed and staff are supported well. The manager is committed to providing a quality service for young people. The staff team strive to meet the needs of the young people and are successful in doing so in most outcome areas. Supervision of staff takes place monthly and it is planned in advance. Staff feel that their supervision is beneficial in supporting their progress. Appraisals take place annually and plans are made to secure training and development needs.

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Leadership and management

Three recommendations were made at the last interim inspection where the home was judged to be making satisfactory progress. The manager has achieved all recommendations made. Young people now have lockable storage in their rooms for personal belongings. Access to smoking cessation groups is available and young people are encouraged to stop smoking in order to improve their health. Training has been planned in order to equip staff with the skills needed for appropriately and successfully supervising contact with young people and their families. The manager has made good progress in this regard. No requirements or recommendations have been made at this inspection.

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Leadership and management

Monitoring systems within the home are robust and effective. Staff are skilled in their recording and cross referencing which allows for proficient monthly monitoring under regulation 33 and 34. There is a comprehensive self-assessment document which is completed annually which identifies the strengths of the home, and the areas for development. This evaluation forms the basis for the homes development plan. The homes Statement of Purpose is in depth and placing authorities are clear about the aims and objectives which are met by the provision.

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Leadership and management

Young people are consulted with regularly on all aspects of their care, and as part of the managers monitoring. Weekly meetings are held, review consultation papers are completed and individuals also have the opportunity to complete periodic feedback questionnaires. It is clear that young people’s views, wishes and feelings are taken into account by the manager and young people report they feel listened to.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection (March 2011) and the evaluation schedule for children's homes.

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